I. TOP Yokohama "Route Bus Self-driving Project" ~ Test runs of self-driving buses on public roads in housing complex Sakonyama

Yokohama City, Sotetsu Bus Co., Ltd., Gunma University, and Japan Mobility Co., Ltd. have been promoting the “Route Bus Autonomous Driving Project” since September 2019 with the aim of realizing sustainable mobility services using autonomous driving technology as an initiative of “IT TOP Yokohama” to promote the creation of new businesses through IoT and other means.
In preparation for the operation of autonomous driving buses on public roads scheduled for summer 2021, we conducted a test run using large buses at Sakonyama housing complex (Asahi Ward, Yokohama), one of the target housing complex projects for the construction of a large-scale housing complex Regeneration Model Project in Yokohama City.
The test run is a self-driving "Level 2" in which a driver is placed in the driver's seat and goes back to the same section. We stopped correctly at the bus stop actually used, checked the system, and investigated the impressions of the experience ride.
Going forward, we will continue to improve the social acceptance of autonomous driving through various demonstration experiments, verify the possibility of strengthening the public transportation network, and aim for commercial operation based on autonomous driving Level 4.